


Before the Storm

by AnonymousOtter



Series: Heavy Storm [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29082897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousOtter/pseuds/AnonymousOtter
Summary: On the night before the attack on Garreg Mach, Claude cannot find sleep.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Heavy Storm [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175168
Comments: 7
Kudos: 46





	Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Back on my bullshit again; I needed to write some fluff for a change.
> 
> Will I ever not write about Claude von Riegan? Probably not. About Claudeleth? Maybe, but not today!

Over the course of the year, the ceiling of his bedroom had become quite the familiar scenery. By now, it seemed he knew every crack on the wood like the back of his hand.

The burnt mark above the worktop, from the failed chemical experiment that almost turned the whole room into a torch, the crevice near the door which Hilda pretended was her brother’s doing, the knots shaped like two eyes, when you turned your face slightly to the right while sitting at the desk…

Those peculiar imperfections, rich of casual memories, were all shining under the cold moonlight.

There wasn’t a single sound to be heard in the dormitory, that night, save for the deafening melody of Claude’s own heartbeat, ringing against his eardrums.

 _A good night of sleep is vital before such an important battle_ , Rhea had said before she prompted every student to go back to their rooms.

If it weren’t for her orders, Claude wouldn’t be there, stuck on his bed, unable to find sleep. This wasn’t what he had envisioned for what may as well become the last night of his life. He would have rather seen himself in Hilda’s room playing cards, or in the mess hall sharing a good meal with Raphael and Lysithea. Even sitting behind his desk in the classroom sounded like a better idea than staying there alone.

But while he could afford to miss a few arrows during training or tournaments, there would be no second chance in the battle to come, and so Claude was aware he couldn’t act like a spoiled kid.

Alas, he knew that it wasn’t like sleeping three or four hours—five if they were lucky and the Imperial Army felt like stalling its march—would make much of a difference. It wasn’t like he could find sleep in the first place.

Claude had no firsthand experience of war. All he knew about it, he had read in books, and he knew well enough those tended to embellish a much uglier truth. He still suspected Rhea was lying, though. She was simply trying to protect the students, and she gave them this night so they could ponder one last time their decision to stay and fight.

And ponder, Claude did. Actually, the more he was thinking about it, the more the choice to defend Garreg Mach against the Empire seemed like the most foolish decision he had ever taken in his life, right behind that one time he had tried to ride his father’s wyvern bareback.

He rolled on his side and looked at his bow on the desk, and at his jacket around the chair. Everything was ready for an early departure, and while no specific instructions were given regarding these matters, he hadn’t even changed into night clothes when he went to bed.

Edelgard had ruined his plans. She had ruined everything.

Claude sighed once again, definitely deprived from any will to sleep. He was supposed to hold the frontline, tomorrow. They had discussed this strategy with Teach and despite her initial protest, she had decided to follow his advice. He valued her trust but, truth to be told, no matter how much he tried to keep calm, the thought of what was to come made his head spin.

 _I’m afraid_ , he thought. _I’m afraid to die._

And could anyone really blame him?

Claude sat down on his mattress. There was no need to prolong this agony anymore; he had to accept that he wasn’t going to sleep at all. So, he put on low shoes, folded a cape around his shoulders, and he left the room an oil lamp in one hand, making sure he was as discreet as possible.

The corridor was dark and silent when he closed the door behind him. He wondered if the others were sleeping, or if they were also paralysed by fear and anticipation, stuck on their beds…?

When he passed Marianne’s room, there was a faint light pouring from below the door. For a split second, Claude considered knocking before he decided otherwise. It was a special night for everyone in Garreg Mach. His role was to smile and put up a confident front in public, nothing more and nothing less. The Golden Deer had their own, personal demons to fight tonight, and he had no right to interfere.

Outside was as quiet as the dormitory was. The sky was still dark, and the wind was cold on this night of the Lone Moon. Insects were buzzing all around Claude and the water dripping from the aqueduct sounded like a peaceful melody. It could have been a regular night, one perhaps even calmer than any others before and yet, the air was electric. The calm before the storm.

There was no one in sight—save for some straight cats—not even soldiers.

It wasn’t all that surprising: Rhea had sent the students away when the preparations were complete and all the material, weapons and animals had been moved outside. The battle wouldn’t take place in the monastery grounds, but in the town down below, where Claude suspected the Knights of Seiros were reunited right now.

This, at least, guaranteed that he wouldn’t have to find an excuse such as “I needed to pee very badly” or “I forgot my bow on the training grounds” when he ran into someone—because there was no one to run into in the first place. Or was there…?

A faint light was escaping through the slightly parted door of the greenhouse. Claude approached in silence and gave a quick glance inside. Her back was turned to him, but he recognised Annette all the same, crouched in front of a flower bed. She looked so small, one could have mistaken her for a cat.

She was silent, which was unusual but not entirely surprising. Sometimes, Annette reminded Claude of Marianne or Ignatz. He had done his best to lift their spirits this evening, and they were thankful for that. He was proud to be their leader, proud that they saw him as that strong, unsinkable ship. But he wasn’t the one who could provide that sort of support to Annette. He wasn’t her leader nor her prince, and barely even her friend, so he stepped back in silence and resumed his walk through the monastery, his heart sinking inside his chest.

This night walk was supposed to raise his spirits, but it only had the opposite effect so far.

When Claude walked past Teach’s room, something stirred inside him.

Teach… Was another factor that got severely disturbed by Edelgard’s actions. Claude had planned to wait after graduation to tell her about his plans and his intentions to bring her to Derdriu with him, as his right hand and counsellor.

It wasn’t a simple decision to make. As much as his heart swelled thinking about her—his first, only friend—there would always be a part of him more guarded and over-cautious about the matters of the heart. One could not change overnight.

But things had turned sour. It wasn’t just the war—there was also whatever Rhea had on mind for her protégé. Ever since he had overheard the Archbishop talk about the _Holy Tomb_ and _revelations_ , Claude had felt uneasy, as if he could feel his plans slip through his fingers. It was clear that one way or another, Edelgard or Rhea was going to steal Teach away from him if he didn’t act quickly.

So, Claude had to take a decision promptly whether he was ready or not, and it couldn’t wait graduation. He had to ask Teach to join him before war exploded for real, before the pieces and powers were redistributed and Rhea got her hands on her.

But as Claude poured his heart out to Byleth and confessed his affection for her in one, last attempt to convey his feelings and seal an alliance before it was too late, Teach didn’t answer, nor reacted. She simply looked at him with grave eyes and her usual impenetrable expression, and this incertitude he had seemed to perceive in her, more than the incoming battle perhaps, was what was truly weighting on Claude’s mind.

He realised it clearly now that he was standing in front of her closed door.

_Why didn’t she say anything?_

_Did I embarrass her?_

He chewed the interior of his cheek and kicked dirt on the ground. What good there was in dwelling on those things? Teach was not good with feelings. Maybe she simply got overwhelmed. The whole situation was overwhelming for him as well.

So, Claude resumed his walk—there was no way Teach was inside her room and no way he’d find the courage to ask her to stay with him anyway—and he decided to opt for the cathedral, where he knew he would have the clearest view of the sky. No matter what, the stars would always be there for him.

As he walked through the gardens, he made sure to ignore the silhouettes he could make from the corner of his eye. He pretended he hadn’t seen the coloured light filtered through the stained-glass windows of the Black Eagles’ classroom, and he feigned ignorance when he heard footsteps above his head in the halls.

No one in Garreg Mach was asleep. No one was ready for what was to come.

A gush of cool air took his breath away when he opened the last door standing between him and his destination.

Claude had crossed the bridge to the cathedral many times at night, in hope he could sneak into the forbidden parts of the building, but the exercise remained frightening every time. The darkness devoured everything, from the mountains in the distance to the scenery below him. It was like walking above an abyss so unfathomable, it evoked more morbid visions.

It didn’t take Claude more than a few metres, though, to realise that his efforts were in vain: the cathedral was closed, locked out by the imposing portcullis.

He sighed and pondered for a minute that he could just stay there in the middle of the bridge to look at the stars, but truly, this streak of bad luck had killed whatever spirits he still had left in him.

As he started reluctantly to make his way back to the monastery grounds, something caught his attention down below, in the cemetery. There was a candlelight and, next to it, he recognised the bright hair of Teach.

Suddenly, his resolve to not interfere wasn’t so strong anymore. Guided by an invisible force, his steps slowly but surely led him to her.

Claude thought she would be surprised to see him and he almost expected her to draw her sword at him, but perhaps because she had learnt to recognise the sound of his footsteps, or simply the smell of his cologne, she didn’t. Byleth simply turned around and looked at him, her expression as stern as ever. She was holding something in her hand, but he couldn’t tell what it was.

“I know, I know, I should be in bed,” Claude said, as if she wasn’t the teacher bizarre enough to partake in his strange experiments. As if she’d reprimand him.

“The Knights of Seiros are all in town to prepare barricades for the battle,” she said, paying him no mind. “I wanted to help but Rhea insisted that I needed sleep.”

Claude grinned. Teach was young enough they still looked over her like a child sometimes, despite her experience on the battlefield. Or perhaps it was simply Rhea acting weirdly protective around her, as usual. “I guess we are both breaking curfew, then,” he said.

“I went to my room,” Byleth continued, her small hand tight around whatever she was holding, “but I couldn’t help thinking about my father.” She paused. “And about you,” she added. She shook her head and she looked lost. “I’m not used to this.”

“I’m afraid none of us is,” Claude answered, not really sure what she was referring to. “But more importantly, Teach, you were thinking about _me_?”

He said that in the tone of a joke, and he even winked to make the point clear, but part of himself was genuinely curious about the implications of her words. Did it have to do with his own confession? It had to, didn’t it…?

“Yes,” Byleth said. She sounded hesitant, her eyes uncharacteristically focused on everything but him, and Claude felt his heart soar. “Sorry,” she added promptly. “I know we agreed to it, but… I’m really not sure about putting you in the frontline.”

 _Oh_ , Claude thought. _Well, better luck next time_.

He ignored his disappointment—would there ever be a time when she acknowledged his words—and he sneaked to her side and tapped on her shoulder gently. “And what are you afraid of, Teach?” He almost called her “friend” in the moment, but it seemed uncalled for.

“You are better at long range,” she murmured half to herself as she started to walk to the stairs.

“But still good with an axe,” Claude answered, trotting to her side. She pouted slightly. “Err… You know what, we can make a concession,” he said in response. He hated the idea to spoil her mood more than it already was.

“You aren’t the type,” she said with her usual neutral voice, but Claude had come to read the sarcasm in her eyes.

“Second line,” he said as he made the gesture with his fingers. “At the foot of the stairs, right above the western ballista. That’s my compromise. What do you think?”

All along the way back to her room, Byleth stayed silent, a hand scratching her chin, as if his question was the most difficult riddle she had ever been confronted with. “I need to study the map again,” she finally said when they stopped in front of her door. It opened with a creak. “Let’s have another look.”

It wasn’t the first time Claude had been inside Byleth’s room, and not the first time they were alone in there together, with the door neatly closed behind them. But this night was different. He felt raw and exposed in a way he had never been before in front of her—nor anyone, for that matter. He was alone with the woman he had just confessed to a few hours prior, and while it wasn’t a _romantic_ confession, it still was intimate enough he felt great second-hand embarrassment just thinking about it.

Claude tried to ignore his conflicting feelings for the time being, and he focused on the fear inside his guts instead, on the battle to come and on the plans they needed to rework once again to reassure Teach.

They stayed long minutes together, side by side, hunched over the map on her desk and rehearsing a strategy they both knew was already as flawless as their brain could have crafted. It was a map of the town of Garreg Mach, and they had used chess pieces to represent the positions of every battalion. The game was Claude’s, and it was a present Byleth had gifted him for his birthday last summer.

“You were right,” she said after a while. “Putting you in the frontline is the soundest solution. There is no point in assigning you to the second line. You will be more valuable here. It’s the correct decision.”

She said the words with conviction, but her face seemed to tell otherwise, her expression annoyed and similar to the one Claude had seen earlier in the evening, when she had not dared answering his heartfelt words.

“It’s not ‘correct’ if it upsets you, Teach,” he murmured.

“Uh?”

“If seeing me so close to the fight frightens you, then I’ll take the other position I suggested earlier.” He took the Black King piece that was supposed to represent him, and he moved it on the map a few centimetres away. “Right there,” he said, smiling at her. “It would still allow me to cover a wide area, all while being less exposed. Just give me a wyvern instead of a horse.” He tapped the King against the map. “I told you I could make concessions,” he added with a wink. Byleth looked instantly relieved.

“Sorry Claude,” she said, “it’s not that I don’t trust in your skills, I—"

“It’s alright Teach, I understand,” he cut her, and it was the truth. Her own piece, the Black Queen, was also on the frontline, and the vision induced a visceral fear inside of him. “But I need to confess something. If I get the opportunity to, no one will prevent me from rushing to Edelgard. Not even you Teach.” She smiled at that, and it felt like he was already crowned the victor of the battle.

Byleth looked at the map one last time, and she nodded slowly. She put away the pieces one by one, and arranged them back into the box on the chair.

“Can I ask you something?” Claude said before he left the room.

She looked at him, her eyes inquisitive.

“I wanted to know if you’d…” He rattled his throat. “If you’d stay with me. If you want to.” He gulped and he tried to control his brain when he felt the heat rising to his cheeks.

He had to ask her. It didn’t matter if she said yes or no, he had to know her answer, or he wouldn’t be able to fight tomorrow.

Byleth stayed silent but she nodded after what felt like an eternity. She sat on her bed and started to take off her boots.

Claude, still standing in the middle of the room, watched her wondering if it was her way to tell him to leave, or…

Now simply wearing her top and her shorts, Byleth lifted up the sheets and slipped into the bed, her back pressed against the wall. She looked at Claude and he could have sworn he saw her cheeks turn red as well, but it was really hard to tell in the dark. Byleth tapped on the mattress beside her, as an invitation.

“My room is probably better,” Byleth just said, “it will be quicker to get ready when they call us.”

Claude squeaked. He gulped as he realised she had misunderstood his words entirely. He blinked quickly, now definitely too red to try to prevent it anymore.

 _Not “stay with me” as in “stay with me tonight”_ , he thought, and he blamed himself for his poor choice of words, but he didn’t dare telling her that because surely, as awkward as she was, Byleth had no such improper intentions and ingraining this idea into her brain would make her feel really ashamed. He gulped and he looked at her. She seemed slightly shy, but definitely inviting.

It was obvious that despite her cold façade, Byleth was as afraid as everyone else in the monastery in that moment. She needed comfort. And he … he could do with some as well.

 _Not_ that _sort of comfort_ , he reminded himself.

So, Claude took off his shoes first, then his cape. In contact with the fresh air, his bare arms shivered. He hesitated a moment with how to proceed with his pants that he knew weren’t the cleanest considering his recent tour in the stables this evening, and he decided his small clothes were nothing more revealing nor scandalous than Byleth’s own shorts.

His clothes arranged on a chair, he blew off the candles and he slipped quickly below the sheets to hide from Byleth’s surprisingly curious gaze.

 _Maybe my bed would have been a better plan, after all_ , Claude thought when they were both installed side by side, facing each other. All the beds in the Academy but his were quite small—something Sylvain never missed the opportunity to complain about—probably to prevent this exact situation from happening. He felt her knee touch his tight. _Definitely to prevent this situation_.

He was so close to Byleth in her small bed, he could feel her breathing against his skin and her legs brushing over his. Claude tried to keep his cool, but the situation was all sorts of new and alien to him. Never in his life had he shared a bed with someone else, not to mention with a woman. Especially not one he liked… At that thought, he felt the heat radiating from his cheeks, but Byleth thankfully couldn’t see it, for she had closed her eyes.

Her small but rough hand reached out to his below the sheets and pinched his fingers, asking a silent question. Claude expired loudly to calm his heartbeat, and he answered with no words, only intertwining his fingers with hers. She was trembling slightly, and so was he.

“Teach,” he said as quietly as he possibly could now that he remembered Dedue was sleeping next door, “don’t worry… I will be careful up there. You know I never get hit, and that my eyes are always everywhere.” As he said the words, he started to believe it as well.

Byleth sighed and pressed her forehead against his chest. His heart skipped a beat again. “I will watch your back…” he added tentatively probably more to his own attention than to her. He reached for her back with his other hand and he pressed her against him.

“Mmmh…” Byleth murmured, voice half asleep, and she nuzzled against his chest. “Thank you, my friend,” she let out in a breath.

No matter how violent the storm come tomorrow, no matter what Rhea or fate had in store for them, Claude finally knew Byleth’s answer, and he pested he had ever doubted it in the first place. He squeezed her hand and as he felt her body relax against his, he promptly fell asleep.

He’d fight anything in the name of these two simple words. _My friend_.

**Author's Note:**

> This might become part of a series later on, I'm not sure yet... I have several "plots" in mind right now and I like the idea of putting them in the same timeline to spare myself exposition time. Either way, I want to keep things short for now while I work on something bigger on the side *wink wink*
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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